As the New York on Pause or stay at home executive order has been extended to May 15th, I decided to write a lighter piece.
Some think azaleas or French lilacs signify the start of spring. For me, it is buchu (부추) or garlic grass (Allium tuberosum). This perennial plant pops up in my gardens first even before wild ramps or fiddlehead ferns are on the loose. This rhizomatous, clump-forming perennial plant grows from a small, elongated bulb (about 10 mm across). It has strap-shaped leaves with triangular bases, about 1.5 to 8 mm wide and produces many white flowers in a round cluster (umbel) on stalks 25 to 60 cm tall.
I got my seeds many years ago from a Korean woman in Queens that cut my hair for a long time. She brought them in a little bag from her garden and I put them in one area of mine. They have flourished where they wish as the wind blows the seeds and new shoots appear every year.
Each spring, I cherish their arrival. Like many New Yorkers, buchu starts out very soft (and tender), but becomes tough (and more fibrous) over time. I like using the early cuttings in omelets, but there are various uses including kimchi, jeon (preferably with mung beans and not rice flour), and others.
As the summer rolls on, buchu becomes too tough to eat for my taste and in the early fall develops these beautiful flowers that attract many bees. It is heaven like to watch.
Last year as I was working in the front garden area towards the end of the season, I could feel the stare from a couple across the street. I looked up across the road and saw a man a woman gazing at me. We locked eyes and time stopped for 60 seconds without a word. I finally waved them over and could hear them speaking Mandarin as they got closer. They pointed at my buchu and I broke off a few seed heads for them to take. I then ran inside to get a bag and brought them to the back yard to pick some hot peppers and white radishes for them. Their smiles could have lit up Mao Tse-Tung’s face and the Great Wall. They walked away with a humble thank you and waved goodbye. It was a nice feeling that made my day.
I hope this story gives you something to reflect and be passionate about and if you have the time or the money to consider helping out those less fortunate during this pandemic. Stay healthy and here’s to better days ahead!
Vincent L. Apa III
April 17, 2020